Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Lately I've spent more hours working at the office than playing in the craft room...bah waaaaaa. Today it was different; spent quite a few hours playing and was able to participate in the weekly SFYTT challenge. The Stamping Bella order finally arrived with the Angel Bella and new Basic Grey paper, Lime Rickey. The Lime Rickey chipboard pieces are so cute although I didn't know that the pieces are probably geared more towards kids. They worked fine with the angel; love the bright colors and they're the reason I bought the paper....love BRIGHT colors for those who haven't visited before and didn't know. Enjoy the day and when you have time, come back again for another visit.

Wow, it's been forever since there was a post, but I'm making up for it today. A friend asked me to make some wedding cards for her; two of the cards are for her, the gold one I made got lost during a the camera transfer..ha ha! The "fashionable lady" is a stamp from Rubbernecker I recently purchased; she's using some of that fancy smancy paper that seldom gets used unless someone wants wedding cards :-D There is a flap card that is a treat to make because it requires a lot of measurements (you know math and me don't work well together :-D The fashionable one is a tri fold using some scraps of paper left over from the wedding ones. Hope you enjoy the cards and are inspired to use up some of that fancy paper you have stashed away.

Monday, May 18, 2009

Have experimented with some aluminum foil for the past two days. I watched a video that Gina K has on YouTube showing a demonstration of embossing foil (the kitchen kind.) This would help keep expenses down if buying craft foil. Gina K suggests using heavy duty foil, but we have the "regular" type in the kitchen, so that's what showing in the pics. What helped to keep the foil from tearing or not holding its shape was applying adhesive to some cardstock and then applying the foil to secure it; it works really well for "regular" foil. The top flower is completely made of foil with glitter added in the center. The bottom card has Spellbinder doodle parts embossed with foil and floral edges are penned with silver calligraphy ink. I love Basic Grey's Ambrosia dp and am using it whenever possible. The flowers on the bottom card are made from a MissCutiePieGoes80s template and Spellbinders mixed flowers dies.

If you do try using some foil, please let me know with a comment linking back to your blog.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

ToToday I've combined two challenges on one card. CPS116 is being sponsored by Stamping Bella (wonderful online store to purchase really cute supplies). Dawn McVey is hosting the Raspberry Suite Color Challenge Week 6. Check out her blog; you won't be disappointed. Flowers were cut using MissCutiePieGoes80's template; if you don't find it on her blog, she'll send a copy to you, if you ask nicely :-D Thought the dress would look nice if it was paper pieced with some Berry Sorbet bitty polka dot paper from Papertrey Ink.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

Recently discovered another challenge site, STVSC, and thought the sketch looked easy enough to use; sometimes challenges overwhelm me. If you happen to visit the site, you'll notice that the sketch was turned in a different direction, but I wanted to use Tilda again, wearing her glossy cherry yellow rubber boots :-D There are a lot of embellies on this gem, eventually I stopped adding when my head hit the craft table...ha ha!

Today is the last day to participate in the CPS115 challenge and I didn't want to pass it up; the sketch is easy enough for even me :-D The "cherry" looking dp paper is more of what was purchased in Gettysburg from the Forever More Scrapbooking Store. Seriously, if you happen to visit the historic battlefieds in Gettysburg, stop by the store, you won't regret it. The stamps are from SU!, one being a hostess gift, So Very, and the other coming from a cute summer set, Tart and Tangy. The So Very set has multiple words and you probably can find it on Ebay. Am not sure about the Tart and Tangy, but do know that it was a huge hit with SU! fans. The Vintage Cream cs from Papertrey Ink was toned down with sponging for a more vintage look that the dp has on it. NOTE: The Vintage Cream cs works well with Martha Stewart border punches; it's not as heavy as some of the other card stock selections Papertrey Ink has to offer, so it punches easily and doesn't stick. It's the punch that doesn't work well, because when using one from Fiskars, the borders turn out beautifully using other PTI cs.

Promised myself that I wouldn't ramble with posts, but obviously it's not working :-D Gigi

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Wow, today has been a fun one :-D Have played a lot in the craft room; in fact, did all my chores early enough to spend time enjoying my favorite hobby. Aren't these frogs too cute for words? Here's a color challenge found over at SCS: Summer Sun, Only Orange, and Kiwi. Since I don't own any Summer Sun, dug out the Summer Sunrise from Papertrey Ink. Sweet hubs will receive this; he's been kind enough to find other things to keep him busy while I played.

Played the MojoMonday challenge this afternoon; such a great sketch to use. The post below has enough info regarding supplies used for this card. There is a significant difference though: If you look close enough, you can find some transparent doodle parts (Spellbinders) cut and embossed with a CB ef; they're the "leaves". I like using transparent paper and wanted to do something with the flower since it has a ghost flower below the sentiment. Peony die cuts were used (Spellbinders), clear buttons with black twine, black Stickles for antenna. Pop dots and rub on sentiment with petite rhinestone to dot the "I" in smile. MS border punch was used.

Yesterday, while looking at the All That Scraps blog, this little image was displayed; isn't it precious looking? Sweet hubs was walking by while I was on the computer and spotted it; he mentioned that he thinks it's cute, so I looked into purchasing it, not knowing it's a digi image! I wasn't quite sure if a digi image would work for me because our printer isn't one of those fancy schmancy ones. It printed out beautifully and the Copic markers didn't bleed, which made this woman very happy :-D What caught hubby's eye were the ribbons and he asked if there was a match in the stash. There was a very little piece left over; was very careful cutting. The body is colored with Twinkling H2O pewter since there was only one grey marker to use and it's not that pretty :-D Went to Michael's, after making the card and bought a couple of "grey" Prismacolor markers to use for future "bugg bodies." The main image was sponged to tone down the stark white paper. I've been trying to find ladybugs to use as embellishments and wasn't lucky at the local Mike's store. Found some black spongy paper and am not sure what you call it, but it cuts beautifully with Spellbinder dies. Had some spongy red paper in the stash stack. Bought some fine gauge black wire to use for antennas. Point being: The ladybug didn't quite turn out well enough to add to the front of the card, but cute enough to put inside of the card. Used the wire to embellish the paper flowers. If you're not familiar with wire curling, simply cut a piece of wire long enough to wrap around a small dowel or anything that is round. The larger the roundness, the larger the wire curls. Mine were wrapped around a paper piercer for small curls. Paper flowers were added, one colored with a black Copic marker. A red button was added for the center and has white floss tied to it. Corner punch outs for a "framed" look. Remember the big paper pad I bought a couple of weeks ago? This paper pad has so much in it and I'm trying my hardest to use it; there isn't even a dent made in this pad. If you want inexpensive, good quality paper, buy this paper stack from Me and My Big Ideas. What's really neat about it is that if something glued has been attached to it and you need to "unattach", the paper doesn't tear! You don't find that quality with a lot of inexpensive papers, especially card stock. Enough blabbering for now. Geez, it seems as if I can't quit typing :-D

Time has flown by fast these past couple of days; hope all the moms out there were treated like queens on Sunday. I am the oldest of 10 children...whew! Everyday of the week was filled with chores, taking care of the little ones, and doing all that other stuff big sisters do, such as be the BOSS :-D Our family didn't have a lot of money to spend on special occasions, so on our birthday, we got the day off. We were styling during the time Art Linkletter (who, you ask?, well if you don't know, that's okay :-) We chose what we wanted mom to fix for dinner and got to watch as much tv as possible; my birthday is in the summer, so there was plenty of daylight left to play later than usual.

This little "glittered gem" was made on Mother's Day. I chose to spend the day doing what's fun for me and it was in the craft room. The image made me think of how special moms are and that's why there is glitter on the bow and on the shoes; moms seem to "sparkle" alot, don't you agree? I found a sketch challenge over at the Magnolia-Lious blog site and played with April's. Bought pom poms several months thinking I could get creative using them, but they never seemed to work before, so tried once more and sweet hubs thinks it looks as if Tilda is sitting on a pom pom fence...ha ha! What would I do without his input???? I'm so thankful that there is someone for me to turn to for assurance, ideas, or even get to make things.

LOVE charm is another gift from my sweet friend, Mita. She is venturing out on her own and opening up a scrapbook store in Sweden, so if you live near Sparreholm, please stop by and say hello to her for me!

Have a wonderful spring day and hopefully your're inspired in some way with this card, such as using glitter when you shy away from it. If you use the Two Way Glue pen, you'll do great. I like the fact that you mark only the areas that you want glitter to stick, and that the glue doesn't spill over into other areas.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

The Technique Junkies newsletter was used for inspiration on this card; it's called Background Burst. Using a large detailed stamp on dark cs, you cover it with white ink. After the inking, use a cotton ball to color different areas of the cs; you can use as many colors as you want, but the background looks nothing like the sample in the newsletter (will have to try again :-D The bg stamp is Paisley (SU!); maybe another background stamp, like swirls would work much better. Anyway, enough whining! Stamp the bg again with white ink to seal the deal. The main image is from Limited Edition, Large face. The sentiment is one from Inkadinkado, a Dawn Houser design. SU! Ruby Red cs is used for the base and frame, while True Black (PTI) was used for the bg stamping. Select White (PTI) is used for the main image and sentiment. SU! ovalpunches and some black mesh ribbon round off the embellishments. The main image and sentiment were sponged with Scattered Straw, Tea Dye, and Fired Brick (Ranger) to soften the start white cs.

If this technique is something you would like to try, check out the TJ website.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

I've given myself a Mother's Day gift; play all afternoon in the craft room. Of course, the regular stuff, such as exercising, laundry, dishes, cooking, getting dressed..blah blah blah was done before locking myself up for the rest of the day. Sweet hubs worked at the golf course this morning, so there weren't any interruptions before he came home; he's now at his favorite store, well, maybe it's really mine (hint: Mother's Day ) since I wasn't invited to tag along :-D Since you can't tell that discovering Magnolia stamps has become another passion of mine, you can find others on the blog :-) I'm trying hard to incorporate different images with different challenges, but this challenge, the Friday Sketcher, has quite a few cards made with the "Tilda" image, which caught my eye really quick!

Here's another cute Tilda that was colored with Copic markers the other day. Found the polka dot ribbon at the Paper Source in Old Alexandria, VA. The red flower was in a package that the store had on sale; love the feel of the puffy felt. A self adhesive white half brad was colored with a red Copic marker; it was added to the center of the polka dot paper Prima flower. The yellow dp is from a stack that was purchased sooooooooo many years ago that is perfect for dry embossing, but who's dry embossing with a stylus these days? My stylus is used for scoring! The blue "denim" dp was also purchased ages ago; thought it would look cute since Tilda is wearing jeans today. The navy cs was distressed using a Tim Holtz tool. The white flower adorning the headband is from a gift package I received from a very sweet and generous friend, Mita. "Giggle" is an old rub on that I was afraid wouldn't transfer because it's been stashed for a very long time. You could say that this card is almost like a bride wearing something old, something new and something blue...ha ha! I just crack myself up sometimes!

Thanks for stopping by and visiting "Tilda"; hope she made you want to smile since "mature" women don't giggle, not!!!!!

By the way, if you're a mom to anything that moves (didn't want to leave out the critters), Happy Mother's Day!

Rubbernecker Stamps has another Wacky Wednesday challenge; use your favorite technique! There are several techniques I enjoy using, but someone, dear to me, really likes Tim Holtz's Adirondack®Alcohol Inks, so am submitting this card for the challenge. The flowers were cut, and edged with a gold pen, using a template from MissCutiePieGoes80s; you'll want to check out her great blog. The "petals" were stacked with a small pop dot in between for dimension. I made a conscious effort to make a card that isn't "accessorized" with black; it really took some effort, too :-D The doodle parts, "fake leaves", were embossed with the same folder used for the Berry Sorbet cs. Although it's difficult to see in the picture, a pearl alcohol ink was added for some shimmer. I like all the metallic inks!

Tuesday, May 5, 2009

This is the second posting of the day; it's also a day off from the office, so am taking advantage of the rain (staying indoors) and playing in the craft room. A precious friend of mine is celebrating a birthday next week; this card is for her. She's visiting family in Florida and am hoping she doesn't have access to a computer today :-D If she does, it's okay, I wanted to post the card and share the celebration. I ran out of Shimmerz for wing, pie pan, and lace coloring and haven't found any available online in a specific color, but scored some Twinkling H2Os at the local Paper Source store and am more than happy with the shimmery effects. "Tilda" was colored with Copic markers (Naoma is an excellent cook and will enjoy the "pie" for her birthday!) Basic Grey's UrbanPrairie dp was used for the sketch. The sketch was modified from a previous Mojo Monday's challenge. PTI's Select White and True Black cs were included. SU's Lots of Thoughts was stamped for the sentiment; painters tape was put on the stamp to keep the rest of sentiment from being shown. Painters tape is a wonderful product to use because it doesn't leave a sticky residue and is easily removed from almost any paper. SU's scallop punch was used for the sentiment and Spellbinder's rectangle dies (scallop and classic) cut the main image. Miscellaneous buttons from Joann's were added (they're sold in packages for a reasonable price), twine from SU! was added The True Black ribbon is also from PTI. A black pen for squiggling. The main image and sentiment was sponged using Ranger's Tea Dye and Scattered Straw.

Good morning! Wow, have you received as much rain lately as we have in Northern Virginia? You can only imagine how beautiful the trees and flowers are looking outside; I'm enjoying the view. Spring time reminds me of butterflies because it's a renewal of life and in a spiritual sense, a renewal of our soul, shedding the old and embracing the new. This card sketch is from the MojoMonday sketch blog; check it out, if you have time and play along with the rest of us.

The main image was first stamped with the Italian Poetry stamp (Hero Arts) and overstamped with a butterfly from Inkido. The butterfly was colored with Stampin' Up markers in various colors; this particular stamp really holds the "juice" of the markers well before actually stamping. All the dp papers are from Basic Grey, the Ambrosia line. The cs is from PapertreyInk as well as the ribbon. The border punch is from MS's line of paper punches. Corner punch, vintage corner, is from EK Success. The flowers were punched and had some glitter from MS added to the centers. The ink is Tuxedo Black from Memento (this is the go to ink pad for stamping.)

Sunday, May 3, 2009

The latest PaperCrafts magazine (May/June) has a section using acetate cs. I really like making these types of cards, and decided to case one of them using some Basic Grey Ambrosia die cuts, ghost flowers, and embellished brads, as well as cs from PTI. No challenge played, just had some fun doing my own thing. The ghost flowers were heated and manipulated while still warm to the touch. Ambrosia is probably one of my most favorite Basic Grey dp and now there is

Marrakech, which another stunning design. Can't wait to get my hands on some it :-D I wish I had bought some Ambrosia rub ons; there are a couple of card designs using them on acetate and they look beautiful.

Another Wacky Wednesday challenge from the Rubbernecker blog Bev Gerard challenged us to use some type of embossing. I chose a stamp that was won not too long ago from Rubbernecker; it's the Fashion 455 set. I decided to use the emboss resist technique. The image was stamp with Versamark and embossed with clear ep. I also enjoy playing the weekly CPS challenges, so two challenges were done on one card. The dp was recently purchased from Mike's; it's a huge paper pad that has 180 sheets! Flowers were punched, an oval Spellbinder die was used for the main image, and some gingham ribbon was added.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Not too long ago, a wonderful friend, from Sweden, Mita at Altheas mix, asked me to join her design team over at www.altheasmix.se She asked that the news stay under wraps until the official word was given to share. I can not express how much this honor means because Mita is relying on her team to help her business succeed, so she has placed a lot of trust in each of us, which include Anki , Tina and Monica. Being on a dt is a goal I've wanted to reach for a very long time and this is a wonderful opportunity to showcase products and projects. I hope you take time to visit the website, once it's complete, and see what all is available; you'll find a wide variety of products to buy and try!

Welcome to Gigi's world of paper crafting

After years of being a part time crafter, full time mother, and experienced administrative assistant to family and the corporate world, I began card crafting. At first, it was simply learning how to "play" with rubber stamps, then it was on to learning new techniques that accented the rubber stamped images. Now it's designing and creating works of art that are sold, which helps to support my addictive hobby. Hope you find some inspiration from this blog and that you return often to visit.

I'm married to a wonderful man and have two great adult children who have blessed my life with some beautiful and entertaining grandchildren. I retired a few years ago from the corporate world, but recently found some part time work to help supplement the addictive card crafting habit. My hobbies include reading, golfing, traveling, and card crafting. My life continues to get blessed on a daily basis and I'm very thankful that the Lord has allowed me to live this very full and exciting life of mine.